


How to woo your best friend (and other misunderstandings.)

by alstronaut (orphan_account)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Years, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-08-19 09:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8200444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/alstronaut
Summary: Poe and Finn had a tradition. To welcome to New Year, they stayed up until three in the morning playing Star Fleet and watching old western movies. This year, Poe had helped Kare’s mom prepare this magnificent feast, cleaned her house, and beaten Muran’s ass hand after hand of Texas Hold’em, all to make up for the fact that Finn spent the entire night curled up on the couch with someone else.





	

It was New Year’s Eve, the ball was about to drop, and Poe Dameron was seriously wishing his apple cider was tequila.

It wasn’t, because Kare’s parents were seriously against underage drinking.

He swirled his drink around in his clear plastic cup, eyeing the pair of aces he was holding and considering just folding, because why bother, when Kare ran into the room and switched on the television.

“Come on, guys,” she said, waving around a box of noisemakers. “Let’s do this.”

The poker game was abandoned in a flutter of cards and spilled stacks of chips. Lady Gaga was still singing her newest hit, which meant Poe still had time to grab Finn and -

His train of thought shuddered to a halt.

Poe and Finn had a tradition. To welcome to New Year, they stayed up until three in the morning playing Star Fleet and watching old western movies. This year, Poe helped Kare’s mom prepare this magnificent feast, cleaned her house, and beaten Muran’s ass hand after hand of Texas Hold’em, all to make up for the fact that Finn spent the entire night curled up on the couch with someone else.

And now the ball was going to drop, Finn was going to hand Rey a stylized envelope, and Poe was going to steadily ignore them as they shared a New Year’s eve kiss, which would turn into a New Year’s day kiss and an everyday kiss and eventually a wedding kiss. Because Finn had never dated before, and Poe was absolutely certain that whomever Finn grabbed would never let him go.

From across the room, he heard Rey snort, then silence.

Was that it? Had Finn done it - told her exactly what she meant to him, ripped open his chest and spilled his guts?

A few nights before, Poe had gotten a text from his best friend.

 _Hey_ , Finn said, _I need some help._

_Do you need a pilot? I got you._

_No, not today. I just need to tell someone something important. And I’m going to do it in a card._

Poe had grinned, because his best friend was a big, romantic sap, and Poe really wanted to be happy that Finn had finally built a steady friendship with someone he truly admired. A relationship that he had heard about in painstaking detail during the entire week that Finn and Rey had dissected a fetal pig together for Biology.

 _That sounds like a nice ass card,_ said Poe.

_I just want to tell them that they’re have a really nice voice and they’re super witty and give the best hugs. They’re amazing under pressure and a natural leader and I really can’t stop smiling around them, I’m surprised I haven’t strained a muscle or something._

Poe cracked a crooked grin. His buddy, his best friend, had finally found someone special. And Poe’s stomach dropped. Huh, it was nice hearing all those nice things. Except they were meant for somebody else.

 _Sounds like you’re doing great_ , Poe said. _Just say that. You’ll do fine, buddy_.

Muran threw an arm around Poe’s shoulder. “Hey,” said Poe, “I have to go pee.”

Muran laughed. “Just be quick, dude, or else you’re gonna have a year-long piss.” Poe laughed uneasily.

“Careful,” said Kare, waving around a cone hat that with little clocks stamped on it. “The bathroom door doesn’t lock.”

Poe just saluted and darted around the corner, slamming the door behind him. He gripped the edges of the sink and the mirror rattled.

“Damnit,” Poe groaned, his eyes squeezed shut. It was New Year’s eve, and all he could think about was stupid cards, fetal pigs and how this guy that he was totally in love with was going to be really happy and _kissing_ someone else.

He yanked on the faucet handles, because it was either that or his hair. A stream of water gushed out and he splashed some on his face.

The door burst open. “Poe?”

Poe’s eyes shot open. Finn stood in the doorway, one hand curled around the doorframe, his chest heaving.

“Oh, thank god. I thought I wouldn’t find you in time.”

The sound of counting drifted in from behind the doorway.

“Finn? Did you just kick down the door?” He glanced at the door and saw a footprint that he could probably make a cast of and bring into his Forensics class to verify that yes, the boot that made the print was very similar to the boot on Finn’s foot.

“Maybe. But I - “

“What would you have done if I was actually peeing? Just barged in, demanding answers?”

“Come on, Poe, it’s not like I haven’t seen - “

Poe grabbed Finn’s arm. “What are you doing here? You should be confessing your secret and undying love to Rey right now.”

The counting continued, and Poe realized he could feel Finn’s chest rising and falling. He could see Finn’s nostrils flaring, and count the freckles dotted across his cheeks. His fingers tightened against Finn’s wrist.

Finn blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“The _letter_. The very important letter, that you decided to bug me with at three in the goddamn morning because you needed to get it just right. The letter for _Rey_.”

Slowly, Finn drew his other hand out of his pocket. He clutched a cream envelope with the word Poe scribbled across the front and pressed it to Poe’s chest.

Poe looked down.

“‘Someone’ was me,” he said. “You asked me for advice on how to woo myself.”

Finn had the decency to look sheepish, running a hand across the back of his neck.

“You _are_ my best friend,” he said.

Poe yanked on Finn's shirt, bringing him in for a bruising kiss. The world around them exploded in tinny whistles and loud cheers, but Poe didn’t hear it. He was too wrapped up in the feeling of Finn’s shirt pressed flush against his chest, and the way he tasted like apple cider and cinnamon.

Poe pulled back. “Please tell me that letter is a love confession.”

Finn nodded shakily, pressing his forehead against Poe’s. “God, yes.”

“I thought you wanted to date Rey,” said Poe.

“What? Why?”

“Because you spend hours after school studying with her, and you talk about how smart she is and how gorgeous she looks in an apron and safety goggles and how she can absolutely dominate a discussion about different functions of the intestines. You two built such a strong friendship in such a short period of time, I thought I was gonna - ” he abruptly shut his mouth. He’d thought he was going to lose his best friend, or worse, that he was going to stand up there and be happy that his best friend was in love with someone else.

Finn wrinkled his nose. “Really? That’s kind of disgusting. I prefer violent video games and leather jackets.” He yanked on the lapels of Poe’s jacket, kissing him again.

Poe could have stood there for the rest of the year, listening to the steady rush of water and kissing Finn. He wasn’t ready for Kare to come stomping up behind them.

“Eww,” she shouted, over the continued cheers of the group, “Do you know how many germs are in this bathroom?” Poe shot her a death glare and Finn glanced around nervously, as if trying to spot the individual germs. They followed Kare across the house and towards the source of the loudest noise Poe had ever heard.

His palm was sweaty. He still gripped Finn’s hand. He was about to let go and wipe his palm on his jeans when Rey popped up, wearing a cream wrap dress and leggings.

She glanced at them and broke into a grin.

“You finally got your shit together,” she yelled, and she high-fived Finn.


End file.
